Nice, France – The Stone Soup Leadership Institute is proud to announce the recipient of the 2025 Cronkite Ocean Awards James Ellsmoor, Island Innovations as a champion of islands around the world. Presented during the United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC) in Nice, France, this prestigious annual award honors global leaders who are advancing ocean sustainability and exemplifying the integrity, courage, and vision of legendary broadcaster and environmental advocate Walter Cronkite, the Institute’s honorary chairperson for over a decade. The Institute continued its tradition of having past recipients present the Award with 2024 Cronkite Awards recipient Mark Haver, Blue Planet Alliance’s Global Ambassador
“It’s an honor to be recognized among so many great leaders and especially to be here and receive this award at the United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice, France,” said James upon receiving the Award. “It’s really inspiring for me.”
“Islands are particularly vulnerable to climate change,” James explains. “A single event can knock out an island’s economy. A hurricane won’t affect 100 percent of the U.S., but it clobbered Puerto Rico. Island people need to work together and learn from each other. What works, what doesn’t work. To bring disparate island communities together, James began by asking questions: “What has Fiji done that Hawaii can learn from?”
The Institute recognizes UNOC Co-Host Christian Estrosi, Mayor of Nice, France whose visionary leadership and commitment to building a sustainable coastal economy made him an exemplary host at UNOC. As global communities face mounting climate challenges, Mayor Estrosi’s dedication to protecting the ocean and supporting climate resilience efforts is both timely and essential. Walter Cronkite would be proud of his courage, leadership, and service to the region and the planet. Myriam Sharrif, Chief of Protocole represented him at the Cronkite Ocean Awards. Stephane Tallon, Director Musée de la Photographie Charles Nègre hosted the event.
The Cronkite Ocean Awards were created in memory of Walter Cronkite, the distinguished CBS News anchor and the Institute’s honorary chairperson, to honor individuals whose leadership reflects his deep commitment to environmental stewardship. As historian David McCullough noted, “Mr. Cronkite was an anchor on TV, as a sailor, and for our world.” The Awards held in Martha’s Vineyard and New York City in conjunction with Climate Week New York have previously honored ocean champion Dr. Sylvia Earle, Mission Blue. Walter Cronkite epitomized the spirit of what went up (to space) and what went down (to sea) and as a young scientist that inspired me. I see his presence is still alive with the Institute’s work. I am honored to be receiving this award. Dr. Sylvia Earle, Cronkite Award 2014 Recipient.
Cronkite Ocean Award 2025 BIO: James Ellsmoor, CEO of Island Innovation and Co-Founder of Solar Head of State is an award-winning serial entrepreneur, writer, and influential advocate for island sustainable development working on islands on every continent. James is recognized for his work in renewable energy and sustainability, having contributed extensively as a columnist for Forbes and regularly interviewed for international publications. With a systems approach encompassing climate, oceans, energy, tourism, and conservation, James focuses particularly on small island developing states (SIDS) and sub-national island jurisdictions (SNIJs). Through initiatives such as the Virtual Island Summit, he brings together representatives from diverse islands worldwide, showcasing their leadership in global sustainability and addressing pressing issues like climate action. As a speaker and consultant, James’s expertise and ability to communicate complex concepts drive positive change and shape the future of sustainable development on a global scale. James is one of the 100 people featured in the book, Stone Soup for a Sustainable World: Life-Changing Stories of Young Heroes and the Stone Soup Climate Education Curriculum.
Island Innovation brings together business, government, utilities, NGO’s, universities, and citizens to explore innovations and share best practices in sustainability on island settings worldwide. In our modern, ever-connected world, it has taken a modern, tech-savvy approach, by a modern, tech-savvy individual, to leverage these new means of communication in the service of island nations. James’s mission is to strengthen communities on island nations; strengthen the bonds between them; and build their knowledge base, to help them face their most pressing collective challenge—climate change. He developed the Virtual Island Summit, a free annual online event, connecting global island communities on a common digital platform. During the Summit, people from around the world come together virtually, to share ideas, innovations, and the best practices they’ve come up with to deal with the challenges of island communities.
excerpted from the book, Stone Soup for a Sustainable World: Life-Changing Stories of Young Heroes
The Stone Soup Leadership Institute is a 501c3 non-profit organization founded in 1997 developing educational tools, teacher trainings to empower the next generation to become leaders of a more sustainable world. The Institute has worked with island and coastal communities for nearly 30 years: from Martha’s Vineyard to Hawaii; Vieques, Puerto Rico, Azores, Portugal, British Virgin Islands, The Philippines and coastal communities in Boston and New Bedford, Massachusetts, Newport, RI, and San Francisco/Bay Area California. The Institute’s Cronkite Ocean Initiative built a Showcase on Building a Blue Economy Ecosystem & Workforce Development Pipeline with the Institute’s SustainWDN™ Sustainable Career Pathways. Case Studies
“At this year’s Cronkite Ocean Awards we challenged global leaders’ to support the island communities who are on the front line of climate change. They have a unique perspective on the challenges and resiliency solutions – as well as the urgency of now,” said Marianne Larned, Author, The Institute’s Founding Director. “By coming together to honor those who have shown exceptional dedication to the oceans, we hope to inspire others to join us to create a more sustainable future for all.”